49 Fun Facts About Philadelphia Flyers

In which NHL expansion year did the Flyers join the league?

The Flyers joined in the 1967 expansion that doubled the NHL from six to twelve teams, and in 1974 became the first of those expansion clubs to win the Stanley Cup.

Which earlier NHL team, playing only the 1930-31 season, was Philadelphia's first?

The Quakers, the relocated Pittsburgh Pirates, went 4-36-4 in 1930-31 and suspended operations after that single season.

Who suggested the name "Flyers" to Ed Snider for his new Philadelphia team?

His sister Phyllis suggested "Flyers" to Ed Snider, who liked the name and adopted it for the expansion club before it took the ice.

What was Ed Snider's job when he got the idea for a Philadelphia hockey team in November 1964?

Snider was Vice-president of the Eagles in November 1964 when, seeing fans queue to watch a last-place NHL team, he decided Philadelphia could support hockey.

Why did the Flyers play their last seven home games of the 1967-68 season on the road?

A storm blew part of the Spectrum roof off in March 1968, sending the Flyers to Quebec City and elsewhere for their last home dates; they nonetheless won the all-expansion West Division.

Who was the first captain in Flyers history?

Lou Angotti wore the C for the club's inaugural season, then Ed Van Impe took over as captain.

At what overall pick did the Flyers select Bobby Clarke in the 1969 draft?

Clarke went 17th overall in the 1969 draft, falling to the second round partly because teams worried about his type 1 diabetes.

In which Manitoba mining town was Bobby Clarke born?

He learned he had type 1 diabetes at 12 or 13 and starred for the Flin Flon Bombers.

Whose recording of "God Bless America" did the Flyers begin playing before select games in December 1969?

Kate Smith's recording was first played on December 11, 1969 at the suggestion of executive Lou Scheinfeld, and the Flyers' winning record with it became legendary.

Which newspaper's writers coined the nickname "Broad Street Bullies" in January 1973?

Philadelphia Bulletin writer Jack Chevalier used it in his story on a brawling January 1973 win in Atlanta, and headline writer Pete Cafone put it in print.

Who was the first Flyer to score 50 goals in a season?

Rick MacLeish scored 50 in 1972-73, the team's first winning season, and later netted the Cup-clinching goal in game six of the 1974 Final.

Bobby Clarke was the first expansion-team player to win which NHL award, in 1973?

Clarke's 1973 Hart Memorial Trophy was the first won by a player from an expansion club; he took the MVP award again in 1975 and 1976.

How many penalty minutes did Dave Schultz rack up in 1974-75, an NHL single-season record?

Schultz's 472 penalty minutes in 1974-75 set the single-season NHL record, up from the 348 he had led the Bullies with a year earlier.

How many games did Bernie Parent win in 1973-74, a record that stood for 33 years?

Parent won 47 games in 1973-74, sharing the goaltending award with Tony Esposito; Martin Brodeur's 48 wins in 2006-07 finally broke the mark.

Which team did the Flyers beat in the 1974 Stanley Cup Final?

The Flyers beat the Boston Bruins in six games in 1974, clinching 1-0 at the Spectrum for the first Stanley Cup won by an expansion team.

Which team did the Flyers defeat in the 1975 Final, a series remembered for the Fog Game?

The Flyers beat the Buffalo Sabres in six; the Sabres' arena had no air conditioning, and a May heatwave left game three shrouded in fog.

Who scored the winner in game six of the 1975 Final as Parent posted a shutout?

Bob Kelly scored early in the third period of the 2-0 clincher in Buffalo, and Parent became the first player to win consecutive Conn Smythe Trophies.

Which Soviet team left the ice mid-period at the Spectrum in January 1976 after an Ed Van Impe hit?

Central Red Army pulled its players off after Van Impe flattened Valeri Kharlamov, returned when told the team would forfeit its pay, and lost 4-1.

Which three players made up the LCB line that set an NHL record with 141 goals in 1975-76?

Leach, Clarke and Barber combined for 141 goals in 1975-76: Reggie Leach 61, Bill Barber 50 and Bobby Clarke 30.

How many playoff goals did Reggie Leach score to win the 1976 Conn Smythe despite the Flyers being swept?

Leach scored 19 goals in 16 playoff games in 1976, including five in one semifinal game, before Montreal swept the Final.

What was head coach Fred Shero's nickname?

Shero was called The Fog for drifting out of rooms unnoticed and leaving cryptic, philosophical sayings on the dressing-room chalkboard.

Which team did Fred Shero leave the Flyers to coach and manage in 1978?

The Flyers received the Rangers' 1978 first-round pick as compensation.

How long was the Flyers' 1979-80 unbeaten streak, a North American pro sports record?

The streak reached 35 games, a 25-0-10 run, before ending with a 7-1 loss at Minnesota on January 7, 1980.

Pelle Lindbergh, who led the NHL with 40 wins in 1984-85, was the first European to win which trophy?

Lindbergh's 1985 Vezina made him the first European-trained goaltender to win it; he died in a car crash in November 1985, a month into the next season.

Which Flyers goaltender was the first in NHL history to shoot the puck into an empty net, in 1987?

Ron Hextall shot the puck the length of the ice into an empty net on December 8, 1987, and repeated the trick against Washington in the 1989 playoffs, another first.

Which future Hall of Famer was among the players the Flyers sent to Quebec for Eric Lindros in 1992?

Peter Forsberg, the Flyers' sixth overall pick in 1991, went to Quebec with Mike Ricci, Steve Duchesne, Chris Simon, Kerry Huffman, a starting goaltender, two first-round picks and $15 million.

Which team beat the Flyers in the 1987 Stanley Cup Final in seven games?

The Edmonton Oilers won game seven 3-1 at home for their third Cup in four years, after the Flyers had climbed back from 3-1 down in the series to force it.

Which two wingers flanked Eric Lindros on the Legion of Doom line?

John LeClair and Mikael Renberg flanked Lindros from 1995; all three stood at least six foot two, and the line's size earned it the Legion of Doom name.

What was Lindros's earlier line with Recchi and Fedyk called, after their numbers 8, 88 and 18?

The Crazy Eights line took its name from the sweater numbers 8, 88 and 18; it broke up when Renberg arrived and the Legion of Doom formed in 1995.

Which junior team did Eric Lindros play for before Quebec drafted him first overall in 1991?

Lindros starred for the Oshawa Generals, winning the 1990 Memorial Cup with them, then refused to report to the Nordiques after the 1991 draft, forcing the trade to Philadelphia.

Whose fifth-overtime goal against Pittsburgh in 2000 turned that series for the Flyers?

Keith Primeau ended game four in the fifth overtime on May 4, 2000, evening a series the Flyers had trailed 2-0 and went on to win in six.

How many penalty minutes did the Flyers and Ottawa combine for in their NHL-record 2004 game?

The March 5, 2004 game in Philadelphia produced 419 penalty minutes, an NHL record, as a string of brawls broke out in the final minutes of a 5-3 Flyers win.

What series deficit did the 2010 Flyers overcome against Boston in the second round?

The Flyers lost the first three games to Boston, then won four straight, only the third 3-0 series comeback in NHL playoff history; they then beat Montreal in the conference final.

Which team beat the Flyers in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final?

The Chicago Blackhawks won in six games, clinching in Philadelphia on Patrick Kane's overtime goal that slid under Michael Leighton and took seconds to confirm.

Which Flyer, who died of leukemia in 1977, had his number 4 retired?

Barry Ashbee's number 4 was retired in April 1975, a year after a puck to the eye ended his playing career; he died of leukemia in May 1977 while a Flyers assistant coach.

Which number did Bill Barber wear, retired after his Hall of Fame induction?

Barber's 7 was retired in October 1990, the year he entered the Hall of Fame; Mark Howe's 2 and Eric Lindros's 88 were likewise retired after their inductions.

What number is out of circulation but not officially retired in memory of Pelle Lindbergh?

The Flyers took 31 out of circulation after Lindbergh died on November 11, 1985, following a car crash in New Jersey, without formally retiring it.

In what year did the Flyers leave the Spectrum for the new CoreStates Center?

The Flyers opened the 1996-97 season in the CoreStates Center, built next to the Spectrum; the building later carried the names First Union Center, Wachovia Center and Wells Fargo Center.

Who was the Flyers' first head coach?

Keith Allen coached the Flyers for their first two seasons, then moved up to general manager and built the two Stanley Cup-winning teams of the mid-1970s.

In what year did the Flyers unveil their mascot Gritty?

Gritty debuted on September 24, 2018; until then the Flyers were one of only two NHL clubs without an official mascot.

Which mascot performer helped design Gritty?

The first Phillie Phanatic, Dave Raymond, consulted on Gritty's character through his mascot company, while Brian Allen of Flyland Designs drew the seven-foot orange creature.

What was the name of the Flyers' first mascot, which lasted only the 1976-77 season?

Slapshot, a costumed character introduced in 1976, lasted a single season; the Flyers then went four decades without a mascot until Gritty.

Why was the statue of the "God Bless America" singer outside the Flyers' arena removed in April 2019?

Criticism over racist 1931 recordings, and another from 1933, led the Yankees to drop her anthem; the Flyers stopped playing it and removed the statue days later.

Which grocery chain sponsored the Flyers' 1966 name-the-team contest, with a colour TV as top prize?

Acme Markets put up a colour television for the contest, won by nine-year-old Alec Stockard of Narberth, whose entry spelled the name 'Fliers'.

Bill Putnam's choice of orange for the Flyers was partly inspired by the colours of his alma mater, which school?

Putnam, a University of Texas alumnus, wanted 'hot' colours and paired orange with black for the new club.

Which full-length hockey pants did the Flyers pioneer in 1981-82 before the NHL banned them?

Cooperalls, full-length pants worn over a girdle, were used by the Flyers for two seasons and Hartford for one; the NHL banned them for 1983-84 after players slid dangerously on the ice.

Who holds the Flyers' single-season points record with 123 in 1992-93?

Mark Recchi put up 53 goals and 70 assists for 123 points in 1992-93, his first full season with the Flyers.

Who set an NHL record with 34 power-play goals for the Flyers in 1985-86?

Tim Kerr scored 34 power-play goals in 1985-86, an NHL single-season record, in the middle of four straight 50-goal seasons.

Which Flyer became the first former player to be named the club's head coach, replacing Mike Keenan in 1988?

Paul Holmgren, a Flyers winger from 1975 to 1984, took over after Keenan was fired for squandering a three-games-to-one lead and a three-goal game-seven lead against Washington in 1988.